Quest Knight
by Maniac Mike
Summary: Original story by me. This story is mixed with wrestling, MMA, no-holds-barred, and is combined with politics, romance, a brother-brother relaionship, there are religious messages, war, betrayal, patriotism, family, lust, revenge, a fall from grace, loss


**Quest Knight**

**By Michael Elias**

**Greg Sawyer is on a quest to fulfill a dream he's had throughout childhood to enter the major leagues of no holds barred fighting. No holds barred fighting is a violent sport and the UFC has long been considered the major leagues of this business. Greg has been fulfilling this dream by competing in the minor leagues of this sport. Andy, Greg's younger brother, often watches the fighting and enjoys the sport and appreciates the training the athletes in the sport goes through. While Greg worked and worked at his competitions and nurtured his training, Andy searched for his own dream.**

**The rules to the sport are simple, you wrestle your opponent until you pin him or her down for a three count, or apply a painful hold to force your rival to submit or tap out. Of course you could also knock out the other competitor. **

**Greg lucked out big time by having his hero and fighting legend, 22-time World Heavyweight Champion, Chase Wayland, as his trainer. Greg met him at a seminar and asked him to teach him, guide him in his quest. Chase Wayland made him work for it.**

**Greg believes there's a power deep inside of him. To this day he still reaches towards his goals. Throughout his school years he dedicated his time to his training, class work, family, friends, and church. He learned a lot from the legendary Chase Wayland. **_**Exercise, exercise, exercise. Train, train, train. Practice, practice, practice. **_**After his matches, Greg always stayed to sign autographs for the kids, no matter how long or how late it got. Even the adults were guaranteed autographs. He even volunteered to help out with little league programs and clubs for children.**

**Greg believes in the United States of America. He always has something special planned for the Fourth of July, like fireworks and cookouts and parades. As a child he strongly thought about joining the military, the Army was his main choice. Now that he's grown up, he does his best to be a good example to the good, hard working people of the world. This is why he frequently fights for charity events, helping raise money to battle cancer. His parents are extremely proud of him. **

**Andy constantly got in trouble at school and was always asked about Greg and his athletic competitions. Andy was constantly encouraged by his parents to train alongside Greg to teach him discipline. Within five years of competing, Greg won tournaments and Andy attended at the request of their parents to learn what hard work was all about. Greg had collected a lot of trophies from winning these tournaments. Andy checked out the trophies and worried he could never be as successful as Greg. One day in the mail, Greg received an invitation to compete in a national tournament, out of state. Andy asked if he could go watch his brother compete in the tournament. Of course Greg had traveled to competitions before, but Andy had never gone with him.**

**Andy was at a crossroads in his life. He was a smart enough kid, but was never motivated. Andy looks up to Greg and often brags to his friends about him. He once got into a fight after school because a rude classmate dared to make cruel remarks towards Greg. Andy even designed a web page dedicated to Greg. Their parents couldn't understand how a bright and talented kid like Andy could possibly do so poorly in school. **

**While a majority of the fighters wore black or leather singlets, trunks, boots, kneepads, and elbow-pads. Greg never wanted to be a cookie-cutter fighter, so he chose the red and gold colors. His robe was a gift from his rich grandfather, the final present given from him before his death. Actually, the entire Sawyer family were all financially set. **

**The reason why Andy asked for an invitation was to get away from it all, especially his brother's shadow. True he'd be alongside his brother, but at the tournament Andy could just relax. On the plane, Andy did get to relax, while Greg read the brackets and information about the tournament. After he read, Greg thought about Hayden while he relaxed. Hayden was a girl Greg met when he began competing in tournaments. He knew Hayden would be there and would assist with changing the brackets. **

**Greg was always attracted to Hayden and hoped she would root for him every time she saw his name on the brackets. He smiled as he imagined himself advancing to the other brackets while Hayden observed. The plane landed, Andy hoped for a nice trip and wondered how Greg could be so confident all the time. Andy looked at the other plane passengers at the airport coming off different airlines and wondered if they were here for the tournament as well. Hayden observed the brothers in the crowded airport and walked over to say hello.**

**Hayden Conrad came from a similar background as the Sawyers. She comes from a family who are also financially secured. Throughout high school she was part of a super couple. Josh Magee was her sweetheart. They graduated together and that summer she discovered he was cheating on her. While the Sawyer boys grew up in Tennessee, Hayden was raised in North Carolina. Her best friend, Katie Wade, was like a sister to her. Both Katie and their friend, Gail Hart, were there for her. Hayden had worked as a babysitter and later was a tutor. She worked at a daycare center before joining the world of mixed martial arts fighting. The girls went their separate ways. Gail joined the police academy, while Katie began her training to eventually join the military.**

**At the time there had been rumors of the emergence of a new terrorist known as Fidel Ali Hussein. This wasn't his real name of course, but he did have plans to have it legally changed at the time, which he did. Katie wanted to do her part to help her country. Katie's father, uncle, and grandfathers all served in the military. **

**Greg invited her to have a drink in the hotel lobby later on, she accepted and then they drifted through the crowded area. The two brothers entered the hotel, which was just as crowded, and made their way through the lobby. Greg and Andy checked into their hotel room while the two talked about Hayden. After they settled into their room, Andy popped in a DVD of Greg's matches. Andy mimicked the maneuvers on the disk while Greg met up with Hayden. The two enjoyed their drink together, he went out exploring afterwards, while she returned to her room. Andy enjoyed learning more about the sport, meanwhile a motorist had too much to drink. Greg crossed the street to return to Andy, but the drunk motorist lost control. The motorist was moving towards him, but he dove to the side of the street, away from the car, and fell down a dirt hill.**

**Due to the fall, he twisted his ankle and smashed up his knee, but the motorist wasn't so lucky. Greg laid there at the bottom of the hill, unable to move, out of sight from the street. It took all his strength to move and get his cell phone to call for help. Greg dialed 9-1-1 on his phone and gave the street name and informed them about the hill. Help arrived for Greg, the paramedics rushed down the hill to get him. **

**Andy and Hayden were informed about what happened to Greg, and they arrived quickly. It was tough for Andy to see his older brother like that, he felt bad for him. Quickly, an idea came to Andy of something he could do for his brother. Now that his brother was out of the competition, Andy told Hayden he wanted to fight in his place. Hayden didn't think Andy was ready to fight in a major competition, considering he's never competed before. **

**Andy went to see the promoter about replacing Greg in the competition. The promoter pretty much repeated what Hayden had said as far as major fighting goes. Andy thanked the promoter for his time, all of a sudden a cocky fighter walked over and insulted him. Andy and the fighter argued and then pushing and shoving took place. Andy focused on what he learned from the gym and the DVD and Greg and used that to his advantage and took the fighter off guard and surprised him again and took him down.**

**Andy always had a photographic memory, if only he would've applied it to his schoolwork. It was easy for him to mimic what he's been observing up close. **

**The promoter decided to give Andy a chance after seeing what he'd done to the fighter. It was decided Andy would have to qualify for a chance to enter the tournament. Andy's road to qualify for the tournament included facing four fighters, one at a time of course. Hayden watched Andy attempting to qualify, and saw him go against a fighter from Rhode Island. In 8 seconds Andy defeated the Rhode Island fighter by using his brother's favorite submission hold. Hayden was impressed, and saw him win with the same submission, this time at the ten second mark. **

**The next fighter became aware of the submission hold, so Andy pinned him in just fifteen seconds. One more fighter to go, and now Andy was paired up with a bigger opponent. Andy applied a sleeper on his big rival, and the fighter went down in 48 seconds. Andy advanced and felt he did his big brother a favor.**

**When Greg learned of this favor and Andy fighting, he felt his kid brother was crazy. Andy assured his big brother he wasn't crazy and that he's a fast learner and he learned by watching him.**

**Later on Hayden assured Andy that she believed in him and knew he could do it. Andy realized he had learned in school all along but just wasn't motivated. Fighting for the family name is what he needed to get motivated and showcasing what he's learned. Andy told Hayden that nobody has ever really believed in him before and he always needed that. Finally the big tournament took place, and a lot of accomplished fighters were there showcasing their talents, and Andy just watched the monitor and learned. He was amazed at how just by watching something, his brain picked up on it and he learned it real quick. **

**Now it was his turn, he picked up his things and walked out into the arena and his brain focused in on the amazing moves from the fighters. Amazing was a good way to describe his first round opponent who was originally focused on fighting his brother. Andy used the moves he duplicated by watching the fighters and he defeated his opponent with a thrust kick in 59 seconds. Hayden was shocked that he defeated him with a kick like that. In the second round Andy faced a veteran opponent and knocked him out for the win in one minute's time. None of the fighters gave Andy a chance and now he's faced these challenges head-on and made it to the semi-finals.**

**Greg was getting discharged from the hospital and got word Andy just obtained victory in the semi-finals match at the 1:04 mark. Hayden was worried about the opponent in the finals and knew this guy could send Andy to the same hospital where Greg was. Andy discharged his past frustrations in the ring at his dangerous opponent and thought of Greg, his mom, dad, the rest of the family, and Hayden. In the end it was his opponent who had to go to the hospital, because Andy applied a leg-lock on him, while getting rid of his frustrations, and the man wouldn't submit. That was a dangerous thing, because his leg broke and the referee had to stop the match and award it to Andy at the 2:18 mark.**

**Andy won the tournament and his first trophy, and his past frustrations were now in the past. Hayden congratulated Andy and she liked the trophy. Andy admitted he liked Hayden but knew Greg liked her. Hayden said her and Greg were just friends. Andy didn't want to be just friends and kissed Hayden. And Hayden kissed Andy back.**

**Twenty-four hours later, Greg was on his laptop and discovered someone started a fan-site about him. Complete with action photos of himself. He scanned through it.**

**Bio **

**Name: Gregory Mitchell Sawyer (called Greg)**

**Nickname: "Lion Heart" based on his Fight/Sport career **

**Sex: Male**

**Age: 23**

**Looks: tall, black hair, brown eyes, built **

**Education: Graduated from Limbaugh College **

**Vocation/Occupation: No Holds Barred/Mixed Martial Arts fighter **

**Status and money: Grandfather was a millionaire (now deceased) **

**Family is financially set**

"**In the age of the web nothing's secret," he said. "What else do we have here?"**

**Marital Status: single**

**Family, ethnicity: American, Irish Catholic, part Scott **

**Diction, accent, etc.,: Good vocabulary, no accent, sounds like he could do voice-over for a superhero cartoon character.**

"**Oh, right," he remembered, "It's that super fan, Myron."**

**Born: Atlanta, GA**

**Raised: Chattanooga, TN **

**Currently lives: Topeka, KS **

"**The kid did his homework," Greg admitted. He picked up a letter with his return address, 1975 Reagan Rd. Apt. 18.**

**Eventually Greg got better, he added an entry in his journal.**

**Feb. 06, 2009**

**I finally recovered from my injury. I must say I've been extremely jealous of Andy since he replaced me in the tournament and won the trophy. It bothers me that Hayden has been having conversations with him lately and repeatedly tells him she's proud of him. I hate that every time I invite her somewhere she asks to bring Andy along. Andy is part of the league now. He's eager for me to return to the gym and practice with him. He seems different around me lately, like the cat that swallowed the canary. I keep asking him **_**what's wrong? **_**and he keeps telling me, "nothing's wrong." Well, Mom and Dad aren't so worried about Andy now.**

**While he continued to rest up, he sat down to write a letter.**

**Feb. 06, 2009**

**Dear Hayden,**

**You've known how I felt about you for a long time now, I've made no secret of it. Anyway, Valentine's Day is almost here, and I want you as my Valentine. Since we're traveling to New York that week, I'd like to make reservations for the both of us at Pierre's and then go watch the John Wayne double feature at the Bailey Theater. No pressure because I know you're still not ready for a major commitment and relationship. But we are good friends me and you, and I value our friendship very much. You're a very beautiful woman, both inside and out and I hope in the near future instead of going out as "just friends" we can go out on a regular date. When I return to the ring I'm dedicating my match to you. **

**Love, Greg **

**It didn't take him long to hear back from the girl of his dreams.**

**February 7, 2009**

**Dear Greg, **

**Thank you so much for the Valentine's invitation, that is very sweet. I'm sorry to give you bad news, but I have plans that night. I'm just going to busy with some work-stuff. You know how it is to be swapped with work. This was the only night the client could come by to see me. I hope you're not too upset. I appreciate you dedicating your match to me. Just be sure you're 100% when you return.**

**Sincerely, Hayden**

**Greg was certainly hoping for a yes. What could he do now? E-mail. **

**February 7 2009 10:34 PM**

**From: (Greg Sawyer) **

**To: (Hayden Conrad) ****Ring_**

**Hi Hayden,**

**I could never be upset with you. LOL! BTW see ya in NY.**

**Greg **

**It's getting closer to Valentine's Day. Greg was eager to return to the ring. Since Andy replaced Greg in the tournament, he's taken a lot of his big brother's thunder. What he doesn't realize is that he's also taken away the girl of his dreams. "One of us will have to tell him eventually," said Andy. "Or perhaps we both should." She looked at Andy and knew he was right. "I know, Andy," Hayden replied. "I just don't want him to be hurt." They both held hands. "While in New York I'll find an excuse so we can keep our Valentine's plans," Andy added. Hayden smiled. They shared a kiss. **

**In his apartment, Greg fed his hamster, Skippy. His phone rang. "Hello?" asked Greg. "Yes, I'd be interested in fighting Chad again," he said. He could just picture it, **_**Sawyer-Mason V **_**it would be awesome for him. Of course he was already 4-0 against his rival. Greg smiled at the thought. Chad had been a problem for Greg for far too long. Chad Mason is a dirty fighter. He put Greg's former classmate into the hospital, purposely, by dislocating his shoulder. **_**What's keeping Andy? **_**They had plans for lunch. In fact, he's been late for all of their appointments lately. On his way to his brother's, Andy wiped away any trace of lipstick and splashed cologne on himself to hide any hint of Hayden's perfume. **_**Greg is my brother. I love him and he has a right to know. **_**Andy felt guilty, as Greg's done everything for him. Finally he arrived at Greg's apartment. "Late again, I see," said Greg. Andy nodded. "Sorry, big brother," he said. The TV was on in his apartment. **_**Here's your sign! **_**Bill Engvalle was on. They went to an Italian restaurant to eat. Greg kept talking about Hayden and Valentine's Day and New York. "Yeah Greg, about her," Andy began, "let's say if you met somebody else." He took a sip of his lemonade and continued to listen. "Would you give that 'somebody else' a chance and forget about Hayden?" They both sat there quietly for a minute. "Not a chance," Greg answered. "I'm in love with Hayden." **

**This was going to be tougher than Andy thought. The trip to New York was hard on Andy. Several times he wanted to tell Greg, but chickened out of it. He kept making excuses to himself. **_**If it wasn't for Greg, I wouldn't even be in this sport. Heck, if it weren't for Greg, I'd never had met Hayden. **_**Yes, Hayden…**

**That's what this all went back to. Finally they were in New York. It was now Valentine's Day. "Any plans tonight, Andy," asked Greg. He froze, feeling guilty for deceiving his brother all this time. He frowned. "I think I'm going to the movies and probably shoot some pool," he lied. His older brother was sitting down watching **_**Highlander **_**while drinking a cold glass of lemonade.**

"**Too bad that Chad douche couldn't make the event," Greg said. "Now my comeback is on the backburner." Both brothers looked over at Christopher Lambert portraying Connor Mac Lead on the screen. "So, do you have anything planned?" asked Andy. He saw a frown on his brother's face. "Hayden's busy, so no Valentine's party," he responded. "I guess I'll hang out with my fellow bachelors at some nightclub they've wanted me to check out." On the screen, the big Highlander-Kurgan showdown was on. "You remember my friend, Charlie, from back home?" asked Andy. **

"**Hmmmm…Yeah, sure," he said. "Why?" **_**Let's hope this works. **_**"He has this cousin, Summer, she watches your fights, she really likes you," he said. Greg didn't take the bait. Later on Greg got into his rental car, even in New York he has to drive a VW, and he had his Bellamy Brothers CD cranked up, **_**Just let your love flow, **_**he began singing along. Greg couldn't help thinking how his life changed recently. First he was the only warrior in the family, one accident later and his kid brother enters the fight world. Andy's fan base is already growing. **

**He pulled into the parking lot of Fibber's Nightclub. The gang was already there, talking. **

"**Hi-ya, Greger," someone called. "You finally made it," said another. The folksinger played on the stage. Greg's fellow combatant, Teddy was there. They had one of their usual debates over politics. Greg, a Republican, and Teddy, a Democrat, always talk politics when they get together. "Just tell me one thing," Teddy insisted, while grinning. "The tension and animosity between you and Chad stems from him being a Communist." Everyone gathered around, listening intently. "That Chad moron, he can't understand my patriotism or anyone else's for that matter," Greg answered. They all knew Chad always had it out for Greg due to their different beliefs. Back in their school days the two had a series of heated debates. They were even political opponents in school. The folk singer had finished up, now a comedian walked onto the stage. A bigger part of their feud is the fact that Chad was directly responsible for ending his mentor's career when he intentionally broke his back. That's just the start of it. **

**Greg and Teddy were now shooting pool. "Have you seen Hayden recently," asked Teddy. Greg took a shot. He's solid, Teddy's stripe. "She's busy tonight with a client," Greg responded. Greg missed his shot to the side pocket. "I know something you don't know," Teddy chimed. "I found out a secret." Now Greg's eyes lit up. While the guys were at the nightclub, Andy and Hayden continued their romantic night out. The fancy restaurant, the carriage ride through the park, a romantic movie. It was a fantastic evening for the both of them. As for Greg, he was on his way back to the hotel. **_**Could Teddy be right about this? **_**The next morning Greg was on his way to see her. At that point she was having breakfast, with Andy. They were both smiling. "Was this your first time?" asked Hayden. "Yes," Andy answered. Suddenly there was knocking and buzzing at the door. "Hayden?" It was Greg's voice. Andy quickly hid out on the balcony. The curtains were pulled over the windows. "Greg, this is a surprise," she said. "Is something wrong?" Out on the balcony, Andy was extremely nervous. "I know your secret," Greg said. She looked worried. Andy heard from the outside, suddenly panicking. "You do?" she asked. A lot of thoughts raced through Andy's mind. Hayden feared what would happen next. "Yes, why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Her head went down. "I know how upset you must be," she said. All the while, Andy wondered if he should show himself or not. **

"**Upset? I'm not upset," Greg said. Hayden looked surprised. Andy was shocked from his hiding place. "You're not?" she said. **

"**No, quite the contrary," Greg responded, "I think it's great that you're training to be a fighter." She smiled. Andy wasn't sure if it wouldn't had just been better to have Greg know the truth already. So Greg and Hayden talked about her training for a little while, then he noticed her table was set for two. "Oh, my trainer was meeting with me but was called away, but will be right back."**

"**Oh, okay then, I have some stops to make just the same," he said. "I'll see you later then." After Greg had left, Hayden summoned Andy from the balcony. They both knew he had a right to know the truth, but didn't want to hurt him. Andy knew he'd have to come up with an excuse to explain why he didn't return to the room last night.**

**The next day it was time for Fight Bash VI, Andy defeated his opponent in two minutes, and had a huge ovation. Greg didn't have an opponent, due to Chad's travel difficulties. But a contract had previously been signed by both Greg and Chad, and they'll have their rematch at a later date.**

**Greg was sickened by Chad in so many different ways. It's bad enough he openly admits his role models are Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Joseph Stalin, and Vladimir Lenin. Now his hero is Fidel Ali Hussein. Chad hates the USA and Greg knows it. Chad doesn't even go to church. The guy has a My Space page promoting propaganda about the Communist movement. **

**More time went by and Andy and Hayden still haven't told Greg the truth. They've continued to see each other behind Greg's back. Any pictures they've gotten taken together were safely hidden away so Greg wouldn't discover the evidence. It's awkward enough for the two young lovers because Greg is dedicating his upcoming battle with Chad to Hayden. Now that she's been training for a fight career, Greg has been watching her practice every now and again. Now Andy and Hayden were sitting down, alone, in a California hotel room, snuggled together watching TV. Suddenly the phone rings.**

"**Shhhh… It might be Greg," said Hayden. Andy walked away so for Greg wouldn't be able to hear his presence. "Hello?" she asked. **_**Of course it's Greg. **_**"Hayden, I've got some news," he said. "I just got word tonight in Sacramento, Chad 'Cruncher' Mason has defeated Wylie Thompson for the Enterprise Combat League World Heavyweight Championship." Mason now became the sixth ECL champion in the history of the company. "Wow Greg," Hayden replied, "so now in San Francisco you'll receive the title shot." She was happy for Greg, of course.**

**Sawyer-Mason V will be happening this time. They knew the legendary Chase Wayland would be proud of him. Greg had been working on a tribute book for his hero for years now. He'd been writing about how when Wayland won his first title, the World Class Competition Championship, in his hometown of Topeka, KS, on April 24, 1950, he was the youngest champion in that league's history. Greg went on a trip to Hollywood for the week, so Andy and Hayden could spend as much time together without worrying about having to run into him. Greg went to visit Teddy in Los Angeles during the week. Chad just happened to be there. "Sawyer!" Chad called. The two nemesis were face-to-face. **

"**Mason!" he responded. "I didn't know Commies visited LA." They were nose-to-nose. "We're in a museum guys," Teddy said. "Save it for the ring." Teddy separated them. Greg decided to see his mentor's long-time business partner in Beverly Hills. Legendary fighter, Fred Davis, gave him an intense training to prepare him for the title match. This gave Andy and Hayden more alone time together. They enjoyed a candlelight dinner together. "Well, the bro returns tomorrow," said Andy. She looked disappointed, as it felt good not having to hide for a change. When he returned, Andy hung out with him to celebrate his upcoming title shot. "It's what you always wanted, Greg," Andy said. Greg's yellow lemonade was finished up, now some pink lemonade was served. "It'll be great if after I win the title, Hayden finally realizes we belong together."**

**This made his younger brother uncomfortable. "But Greg, what if?" Andy asked. His older brother didn't seem to understand the question. "You've lost me," Greg noted. **_**What's it going to take to make him understand? Ugh! **_**"What I mean is, what if she's not as interested in you as you are in her?" he asked. The expression on his face showed he felt irritated by the question. "Why would you even ask me such a question?" he barked. "You know how I feel about her, how I've always felt." They sat in silence. "I didn't mean to upset you," Andy said. Greg shook his head. "Yeah, I know," he said, "you're just concerned about me." They shook hands. **

**Soon afterwards was the big championship match. Andy and Hayden watched together on the monitor. Greg wanted the title, Chad finally wanted to defeat Greg. He let the bad memories flow. For instance, the time Chad stole money from a children's charity fundraiser, but Greg was never able to prove it. Then there was the fact Chad constantly spit on everything Chase Wayland did for the sport. As soon as the bell rang, the fists and feet were flying. After two and a half minutes of action, Chad started bleeding. Greg kept working over the gash. The blood kept dripping. At the five minute mark the brawl looked like a disaster area. Chad was bleeding too much, so the referee stopped the match and awarded the victory and the title to Greg. **

**Andy and Hayden ran out to congratulate him. During the celebration later on, Greg, Andy, and Hayden were informed that Chad would be exercising his return match clause. Chad Mason was furious at Greg. "You'll suffer, Greg 'Lion Heart' Sawyer," he promised. "I'll take it out on your brother." At a different moment, he went to pay Andy a visit. Chad climbed the fire escape and wound up on the balcony. **_**You're brother will be creamed. **_**He picked the lock on the window. He was about to attack him. But he heard voices. "I love you, Hayden." "I love you, too, Andy." He was stunned. **_**That's the babe Greg Sawyer is hung up on. **_**Chad now had a better idea. **

**While Greg was away on a title defense, Andy and Hayden enjoyed a day at the beach. Click, click! Andy applied suntan lotion all over Hayden's body. Click, click! "That's right, enjoy your love fest," said a voice. The clicking of the camera continued. "Twenty-four shots on this baby." It was Chad Mason. He was sure to get pictures of the two making out. After getting all his pictures snapped, Chad snuck into their hotel room and installed a camcorder. "Six hours of footage," he said, "make it good." He didn't need to worry about that. Over the weeks he collected pictures, 178 of them; 4 VHS tapes, 2 DVD disks, and 6 computer disks. "One hundred ninety pieces of proof," said Chad. He packed them all in a box. At this point, Greg was wrapping up a tour where he defended hid championship. **

**Chad went to the post office and had the box delivered to Greg. After he walked out he had a sinister smile on his face. Chad went outside Andy's apartment building with binoculars. He saw Andy and Hayden playing Monopoly together. "Enjoy it while it lasts," he said. "Big brother returns soon." As the Monopoly game wrapped up, Greg caught a red eye home. He fell asleep and was dreaming about Hayden. That morning while at the airport, the package was delivered to his place. Hayden had "spent the night" at Andy's.**

**An exhausted Greg found the box at his door. **_**YAWN! **_**"Who could've sent me this?" he asked himself. "No return address." He slept for a few hours, poured some coffee, and a bowl of **_**Honey Bunches of Oats, **_**sat down on his couch and ripped open the box. "Hmmmm… What's all this stuff?" he wondered. Greg lifted out the tapes and disks first. Chad had them all numbered up along with a note "View Pictures First." Greg pulled out the envelope. GASP! **He was frozen. Greg studied the photo of Andy and Hayden for moments. He couldn't believe it. He was horrified. His brother and his dream girl, together. He looked at the next picture, and the next. He thought he was going to vomit. Each picture he saw his heart broke more and more.

Tears ran down his eyes as he flipped through the pictures. Greg thought he was going to faint. The sadness ran deep. Eventually every photo was lined up on his table and counter. The anger was flowing through his veins. He popped in the tape. What he saw made him furious. His face turned red with rage. As he popped in the next piece of footage he continued to feed off his fury. _This is like a nightmare. _The look in his eyes would be enough to scare the biggest of bullies in a dark alley. He was going crazy. "How dare they?" he asked in an insane voice.

At this point, Chad was in the hallway. "Sawyer must be on the DVDs by now," he guessed. And he was correct. Greg was going crazy by the second. Chad took pleasure in the sounds of Greg crying and crying his eyes out. He hadn't seen him this mad since the incident with his hero. First ending his career, then later something more severe. "My plan is working thus far," said Chad. By the time he got to the computer disks, he was about to blow a gasket. "It sounds like the man is about to explode," said Chad with glee in his voice. When he finished, his eyes were red from the tears. The expression on his face told his mood clearly. Greg threw every piece of evidence into the box and stormed out of his apartment. He found Chad standing out in the hall.

"Mason!" he said. Chad smirked. "None other." The two rivals looked eye-to-eye. "You sent me this?" he asked. "I felt you deserved to know the truth," he responded. Greg was even more fired-up. "Liar, you did this to get at me," he accused. Greg and Chad continue to argue in the apartment hallway. Outside the building, you could see the building was occupying a street corner. These apartment buildings were clearly lived in by individuals in a higher tax bracket.

A thunder storm occurred during the argument between Greg and Chad. Greg suddenly appeared startled. "Frightened of a little thunder, Sawyer?" asked Chad. Greg walked away from his nemesis, and headed towards the basement. He found refuge in the laundry room. _No. I mustn't allow the crackling of the storm stop me! _Greg used his anger to combat his fear of thunder and lightening. It had thundered that night, the night Chase Wayland came out of retirement to battle Chad Mason one last time. He stopped at the door. The noise was loud and it only got louder. The box was still in his grasp.

He took his mind off the storm and thought of Hayden, his Hayden, with Andy. The rage occupied his thoughts. "Andy and my Hayden Conrad," he said out loud. He burst outdoors and did his best to ignore the thunder. He jumped into his VW and drove off. He turned on the radio to distract himself. Suddenly the radio playing The Little River Band performing Lady. He switched stations. Phil Phillips with Sea of Love was on. Frustrated, he switched to another station. _P.S. I love you…you, you, you! _The radio was turned off. Suddenly his destination was complete.

He began his walk inside the building. Andy and Hayden were inside, wrapped around one another on the couch watching a romantic movie on TV. **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!! **The young couple were startled. The pounding continued. "ANDY!" Confusion set in. "Greg?" he said confused. Greg attempted to break the door down. Andy opened it. Greg threw the box inside the apartment. Andy and Hayden both knew the cat was out of the bag. "Greg, I know we have a long over due explanation," said Andy. "SHUT UP!!!!" Greg responded. Hayden walked over to Greg. "Please, just listen to us," she pleaded. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?" he screamed.

Hayden began crying. "Please Greg, just calm down," Andy insisted. Greg swung at Andy and connected with a good right. Andy retaliated with a shot of his own. Hayden saw the two brothers wrestling around the apartment. The two brothers fell on top of the coffee table, which collapsed. The fight spilled into the hallway. Hayden got on the phone. "Gail," she sobbed, "please come over." Andy had Greg in a death grip. Greg kicked him "down stairs" to get free. "That'll teach you to steal my girl," he screamed. Andy was in pain. Gail, turned out to be living in Kansas with the others. She's now an accomplished police officer and still a good friend of Hayden's.

She filled her in on what happened. Greg picked Andy up by the hair and was attempting to throw him down the stairs. "Greg, if you leave now, you won't be arrested," Gail said, "and this is just as a favor to Hayden."

Greg dropped Andy, on the floor. "Do you think I care? Really?" he said. "Hayden was everything to me." Andy crawled away while Greg was distracted. "We were just friends, Greg," Hayden replied, "we still are, we still could be." He stared into her eyes. Those beautiful eyes and that even more beautiful face he'd lost himself in a million times before in his fantasies. "Just once I wanted to kiss those lips, wanted to make you mine…needed you," his words slurred. "We were destined, I will make you mine." He walked towards her. Suddenly Andy smashes a wooden chair across Greg's back. He fell. Andy pinned his brother down and shoved a sleeping pill down his mouth. "Gail, the handcuffs," Andy said. She passed them to him. Andy handcuffed his brother to a bar connected to the staircase.

Hayden collected the box. "Let him sleep it off," Andy said to Gail. She knew her superior officer would take her badge if he knew, but she wanted to do this favor for them. Greg noticed he was cuffed, still feeling the pain. Soon the sleeping pill kicked in, he couldn't fight it any longer. He slept. They examined the evidence at Hayden's place. "Who could've done this?" asked Andy. She didn't know what to say. Andy went to see his parents to tell them everything. His parents were watching the news, learning of the death grip Fidel Ali Hussein had on the citizens of his village, how he'd taken it over and enslaved the people. Greg woke up and was still trapped. "Hello?" he called. "Want to get me out of here?" Gail walked over. "Are we feeling better today," she asked. He shot her a dirty look. She un-cuffed him. "I want to advise you to think clearly about your future actions," she said. Greg mumbled something and walked away.

Now he drove to see his parents, and saw Andy's car there. "Son, I'm glad you're here," said his father. The two brothers stared at each other. "I'm sorry Greg," Andy said, "I love you, you're my big brother." He just stood there looking at Andy with hate in his eyes and face. "Gregory, who informed you about this?" asked his mother. "It was Chad Mason, mom." Andy frowned. "I should've known," he said. Their mom an dad didn't want to see their relationship ruined like this. Not over a woman, not over anything. "You and your brother have always been close," said their father, "you've always looked out for him." As far as Greg was concerned, that was all in the past. "Remember when you were kids and you used to go to the circus together?" asked their mom. "We're a family, you two need to work things out." They could see Greg was visibly furious. Mr. Sawyer turned to his younger son. "Andy, please go for now," he said, "let me talk to your brother." A tear rolled down Andy's eye. "OK Dad," he said, "I'm so sorry about messing things up." He gave his son a hug. Greg looked on, wondering how things got this way. In his mind, this was not the direction his life was supposed to go in.

Now Andy hugged his mom. He turned to his brother one more time. "Greg…" he began. But he turned his head. Andy walked away, torn apart. Greg had a long conversation with his parents. "I agree they should've been up front with you, Greg," Mr. Sawyer said, "but I think you need to try and accept this." He shook his head. "I can't, Dad," he said, "I was supposed to end up with Hayden." It hurt Mr. And Mrs. Sawyer to see their sons at odds like this. "Greg, I know you love Hayden," Mrs. Sawyer added, "this is why you need to let her go." Greg didn't want to hear this. "Mom, it's because I do love her that I must try to get her to be with me," responded Greg.

His parents could see this wasn't going to be easy. "If you really love Hayden that much then you want her to be happy," Mrs. Sawyer said, "apparently Andy makes her happy." Greg grew even more angry. "I knew her first, she was happy with our friendship," he insisted. "After she got over her trauma of being duped by that Josh idiot, we were supposed to be together." Mr. And Mrs. Sawyer recognized the hatred in his eyes. "Perhaps friendship was all she wanted from you," said his mom. Greg stared at the floor. He was thinking Chase would understand.

Andy cleaned up his apartment, the mess left over due to the aftermath of the fight. Greg went back to California to defend his title against Chad. A new town in the state for this encounter. Before he left to defend the championship he sent Hayden a letter begging her to leave Andy, insisting they were meant to be with each other. Hayden cried. Andy wished there was something he could do. "He was my best friend," she said, "I've lost my best friend." They hugged. "He was my best friend, too," Andy added.

Hayden knew this would be another huge fight for Greg, and feared he wasn't in the right frame of mind to begin with. Bad enough it's against Chad, who Greg hates so much, but this was the same man who broke the back of his then-62 year old legendary mentor, but then goaded him back to the ring at 65.

It was Sawyer-Mason VI. This time when Greg fought Chad, his mind wasn't in the match. Chad defeated Greg for the first time and regained his title. Greg felt his whole world had came crashing down on top of him. Chad dedicated his new reign as champion to Cuba. Soon after that, Andy saw Chad at a pub in a California city. Chad was reading a Communist propaganda publication. He confronted Chad over what he did. He simply challenged him to a match. Andy wanted to make it for the title so for he could hurt him more by taking the Enterprise Combat League World Heavyweight Championship away from him. The news reported on the happenings overseas. Andy wondered how in the world a guy like Chad could side with enemies like Fidel Ali Hussein instead of the people in his own country.

The match occurred a few weeks later. The ECL title match took place in Seattle, Washington. Andy charged at Chad. "Mason, I'm going to kill you," Andy yelled. Every time he thought of his brother, or Hayden, or even his parents, he just punished Chad more and more. He then applied a leg lock on Chad. The leg was already weakened by the pain Andy had previously inflicted. Greg was watching the match on a monitor backstage. A bone snapped in Chad's leg. He tapped out. "Your winner and new Enterprise Combat League World Heavyweight Champion, Andy Sawyer," said the ring announcer.

Greg shook his head in disgust. Suddenly, the promoter came up with an idea. Sawyer vs. Sawyer. Brother vs. brother. Title on the line. The promoter smiled. He approached both of them. Andy was reluctant, he still wanted to make peace with his brother, but Greg was too quick to agree. Their parents tried to get them to call off the match, Andy was all for it, but it was too late. The bout was already signed. It was already advertised. Hayden's heart was breaking. A journalist asked Greg about his thoughts on fighting his brother. Greg looked at him, he was "in the zone" he walked right passed him.

The journalist asked Andy the exact question. "I wish it were someone else," he answered. Greg made the walk to the ring. Andy was miserable about this. Now it was his turn to walk over to the ring. Hayden sat and watched on the monitor. She forced herself to watch. The referee gave his instructions. The bell rang. Andy extended his hand. Greg brushes it away. Andy tries again, Greg pushes him. "Come on, Greg," Andy pleaded, "not like this." Greg charged at Andy and tackled him down. He pulled him by the hair and began pounding his head on the mat repeatedly. Andy used the edge of his hand to chop him in the throat.

That got Greg off of Andy. Hayden was watching on a monitor. She suddenly decided to turn her head as the Sawyer brothers struggled to their feet. "You're going to have to get used to it, Hayden," said an official, "you're a fighter yourself now." She nodded. "I know, 6-0, undefeated," she said with a smile. "All those girls were really talented." Both Sawyers were back on their feet. Greg punched Andy in the gut, Andy retaliated with a chop to the chest. Greg applied a head lock onto Andy. He applied pressure, Andy elbowed Greg in the stomach, Greg staggered. Andy elbowed Greg harder, he released.

Andy executed a Russian leg sweep onto Greg. He covered him for the pin. "ONE! TWO!" screamed the referee. Greg escaped. Andy went to apply a leg lock, but Greg kicked him off. At this point Hayden was crying as she looked on. It was like a ping pong ball game, one got hit, the other got hit. It went back and forth. Andy applied an arm bar on Greg. The match was ten minutes old now. Greg tripped him down. He attempted a knee drop on his brother, but Andy moved out of the way.

This was the same knee that Greg had previously injured. Hayden watched in horror. Greg was checking on his hurt knee. Andy rolled over on the mat. He glanced over at his brother. "The Enterprise Combat League World Heavyweight Championship is on the line," yelled the commentator. Greg crawled over to Andy, he wrapped his arms around his waist and attempted to take him down, but couldn't. Andy hit Greg with a haymaker. Greg went down. Hayden looked at the time, fifth-teen minutes and change. She just wanted it to be over.

Andy began stomping on Greg. Andy was about to drop an elbow on Greg, but he rolled over. Andy missed. Greg slithered towards the ropes and used it to help himself back up to his feet. Greg attempted to apply his favorite leg lock submission hold on Andy, but he kicked him away. He got back up to his feet and then delivered a jawbreaker onto Greg. Andy applied a painful Japanese submission hold onto his older brother. The referee asked him if he wanted to concede. Greg's mind wandered into the past.

"_Great match tonight, Lion Heart is it?" "Call me Greg." "Call me Hayden." _The audience was surprised Greg was still holding on. _"I know you miss him, Greg. He was your mentor." "I learned a lot from Chase Wayland, Hayden." _Suddenly, Greg was shaking himself out of the hold. After a while Andy could no longer keep the submission hold locked on. Greg was released from the pain.

"_I was concerned about you out there tonight." "Don't be, I can handle it." "Don't take any unnecessary risks, Greg, I care about you." "That means a lot to me, Hayden." _**SMASH! **Andy kicked Greg right in the chin. Greg fell down. Andy got the pin. "One, two, three!" called the ref. In twenty-four minutes and forty-two seconds, Andy wins. Afterwards, Andy limped over to check on Greg. The battle had taken a toll on the both of them. After that, Greg was in seclusion for a week. He received a knock on his door. "Who is it?" asked Greg.

"It's Teddy," returned the voice. "Are you alone?" Greg pressed. Teddy hesitated. "No." There was a pause in their exchange. "May I ask who's with you?" "It's Ricky," came a new voice. "Henry." No more voices came. Greg opened the door and let them in. "We're concerned about you, man," said Teddy. Greg was in his bathrobe and by the looks of it, hadn't been doing much of anything. "Don't be," he said. "I just need more time for myself." Ricky and Henry examined the apartment. It was a mess. Empty Red Bull cans were all over the place. "I've got to talk to her, try to convince her," Greg spoke, sadness in his voice.

It was hard for his friends to see him like this. "Hayden is still extremely important to you, isn't she?" asked Teddy. "Of course she is. She's my destiny." The four fighters sat in silence. "We've came to you with a surprise then," Teddy revealed. "I think this just might work." He got Greg's attention. At this point Andy and Hayden were taking a walk in the park. They walked hand in hand. Despite the current turmoil, they were both optimistic about their future together. Back at the apartment, Greg had just finished hearing the details of the surprise. "You're kidding, right?" he asked. "You know, before I met her, she had been involved in a previous relationship, with her high school sweetheart."

The guys knew he had drifted off. "The guy, Josh, was his name cheated on her, the idiot didn't know he'd hit the jackpot. She was so devastated by the event that she couldn't bare to be in another relationship until the time was right." Teddy chose the right moment to speak. "Listen Greg, it'll work," he assured him. "Who's idea was this?" asked Greg. "Was it that promoter from Oregon with his bright ideas again?" The guys nodded. "Afraid so," Ricky said. "That's Red Tucker for you."

Henry handed Greg the paper work. "Good man Red heard about your soap opera and thought this would be a good idea," Henry said. "A copy was sent to her already." Greg sat there reading this. "Tucker wants to book a match between me and Hayden, I can't believe it," he said. "Red has flipped his lid." Henry shrugged his shoulders. "Read the stipulation," Ricky said. Greg's eyes lit up. Back at Hayden's place, she was upset about this. "Greg wins I leave you for him?" she said, angrily. "Red has gone too far." Andy hugged her. "At least we both know for a fact Greg would never had set this up," Andy said.

"I never thought he did it for a minute," she replied. "He has too much integrity." Greg agreed to meet Andy and Hayden for lunch the next day, reluctantly, along with Red Tucker. "Now see here, all you fighters signed contracts to fight on my event," Red said, "and you all signed releases." Greg just stared at Andy and Hayden. He walked away without saying a word. "I can't fight him," Hayden pleaded. Red gulped his beer. "Honey, if he loves you like I know he does, you have nothing to fear," he said. "Greg is furious now, sure, but this will make for classic You Tube."

Red Tucker was the same promoter who booked the comeback match with Chase Wayland and Chad Mason, knowing full well the 65-year old legend had a bad heart at the time. All of Chad's heckling and anti-American statements were enough to coax him back into the ring. Pride outweighed concern for his well-being. Chase died at the end of the match. He won his last match, but lost his life in the process.

Greg got on his phone. "Tell me again how this will help me?" It was Teddy who was on the other line. "She'll look into your eyes, you'll look into hers, the match will never happen," he explained. "Trust me, she won't fight you."

But their both professionals and were both expected to give it their all, one hundred percent in the ring. Hayden knew she'd be expected to honor the match stipulations, if she loses, she leaves the Sawyer she loves for the Sawyer who's deeply in love with her. She has a 17-0 record now, but she's only fought women. The night before the match Greg looked out his hotel room window. _Small price to pay to finally have her be mine. _In the room Hayden is sharing with Andy the mood was different. "Anything can happen there tomorrow," Andy said, "and I don't want to lose you." He was visibly nervous. "Greg is a top competitor," she said, "I can't beat him, obviously." They hugged. "No matter what happens, Andy, I'll still feel the same way as I do now."

The next day before the event Greg went for a walk to prepare. He knew he had a guaranteed victory ahead of him. He was getting what he'd always wanted, it's just that he didn't want it to be like this. _But so be it! _He heard a ruckus nearby. "A gang," he whispered to himself. Eight thugs bullying a disabled person. "Let's chat, Special Ed!" They were pushing him. They had him surrounded. Greg found a 2x4 inside a garbage can. "Is there a problem here?" asked Greg. The thugs moved their attention away from the disabled person and focused on Greg. "Run," he shouted to the victim. Running is what he did. Greg held the 2x4 up. The thugs walked towards him.

Back at the arena, Hayden was doing some last minute stretching. Andy was spending as much time with her as possible. They both felt this would be the end for their relationship. Teddy, Ricky, and Henry were all wondering what was keeping Greg. Back at the alley there was an image of Greg down on the ground, badly beaten. He slowly got up to his feet, bleeding and limping, he picked up the 2x4 that had previously been used against him to help him stand. It felt like a long way back to the arena. "Greg, what happened?" asked Teddy. The guys fixed Greg up as he explained.

He was bandaged and taped up. Clearly he was in no condition to compete. But he's going to anyway. This was too important to him. Nobody bet on the Greg Sawyer versus Hayden Conrad match. Nobody would bet on Hayden, they all wanted to bet on Greg. Hayden was announced to the ring first. She was visibly concerned. Greg walked to the ring clearly beaten, battered, and bruised. Hayden saw the bandages, scrapes, and scars. He was limping. "Greg? What happened?" she asked concerned.

Greg shook his head, brushing off her question. The commentators received word of Greg's eight-on-one beating and mentioned it on the air. The bell rang. Greg circled the ring, Hayden extended her hand, he stared at it, unsure. He shut his eyes and nodded to himself. They shook hands, now they locked up. Greg put her in an arm bar. Andy looked on the monitor, nervously. Greg wrenched it in. Then he got her in a head lock. Hayden elbowed him in the stomach. He was still sore, he gasped. She shot at him again, then she smashed him in the face.

The blood splattered through the bandages. She looked on in horror as his face had become a crimson red mask before her eyes. Greg took off after her, but she drop kicked him. Greg fell down. "Greg, what happened to you?" she asked as she watched him lay down in pain on the mat. "Gang attack," he mumbled, "eight of them." Greg slowly got up to his feet. Hayden knew he was in pain, she couldn't fight him any more. "Let's finish this," insisted Greg. He went for a clothesline but she ducked. Now she throws a clothesline and connects. Hayden then dropped an elbow onto the chest of Greg. She pinned him. The referee counted. "One! Two! Three!"

Hayden won the match. The audience was stunned. Greg needed help returning to the locker room. Andy and Hayden hugged. After Greg recovered, days later, he traveled to Idaho to see Teddy, Henry, and Ricky. The other fighters heckled him for losing to Hayden. "Don't listen to them, Greg," said Ricky. "I just came to say good-bye," Greg said. Word got around within a week about Greg's departure. Andy heard from their parents that Greg paid off the remainder of his car and is letting Henry take over his apartment during his absence.

Greg was now at the airport, never having told anyone where he was off to. "Greg!" shouted Hayden. She found him. "Please wait." The airport was crowded. "Hello, Hayden." They were standing there, not knowing what to say. "Why are you leaving your home?" she asked. "I can't handle this, I can't let go," he responded. "Hayden, just let me know one thing, did I ever have a chance?" She had tears in her eyes. "We were friends, we are friends," she answered. "Did I do something wrong for you not wanting to be with me?" he asked. "No, Greg, of course not," she replied.

"But you don't love me," he said. She was crying heavily at this point. "You're wrong, Greg, I do love you," Hayden answered, "but I love you like a brother." The announcement for his flight was announced on the intercom. "But the problem is I don't love you like a sister, I love you as something more," he responded. "Farewell, Hayden." She hugged him. As they hugged, Greg began crying. Six months passed with nobody having heard from Greg. The relationship of Andy and Hayden was stronger than ever. Hayden's long-time friend, Katie, had moved into the neighborhood. While Andy and Hayden were having lunch together, Katie came over. She was holding a magazine. "Hey you two," Katie said. "How's our favorite soldier?" Hayden asked. Andy looked on, smiling, glad his girlfriend had someone that's like a sister to her back in her life.

"Care to join us?" Andy asked. She sat down. "I came across something interesting in my military magazine," Katie said. Andy and Hayden looked and it was a picture of Greg as the All-Military Fighting Champion. Andy brought the magazine to show his parents. He explained that it turns out Greg has been fighting for the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard, all of the branches of the military. Katie was preparing to rejoin the Army. Another six months passed and Greg was off the radar. It was like he disappeared. It occurred shortly after he lost his championship.

"Don't worry, Hayden, he'll turn up," Katie began, "I remember what you used to say about Greg in your letters, I know he'll be fine." Andy held Hayden's hand. "You're right, perhaps he's on his way back right now," Hayden replied. The three of them were silent, thinking about the missing Greg. "Be careful over there, Katie," Andy said, "that evil terrorist is still on the loose."

She nodded. "Hey, after hanging out with mixed martial arts fighters, Fidel Ali Hussein doesn't stand a chance," Katie said. "Hard to believe there's now a mole somewhere in our own country sending that loon information." Throughout the news the big topic had been the emergence of Fidel Ali Hussein and his evil reign of terror. The world wasn't safe with him in it. After Katie went to the Army, Andy planned a surprise for Hayden. They were in Nevada for an event, afterwards during a party in the casino, the band played romantic music, Andy got down on one knee in front of Hayden, and revealed a sparkling ring. "Hayden, my one true love, would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?" he asked. Hayden with tears of joy in her eyes looked around and smiled. "Yes, I'll marry you," she said.

Overseas Katie was on a covert assignment. It was about stopping FAH. He had overtaken a town and turned the citizens and captured soldiers and officers and turned them into slaves. Hussein kept getting computer information from his source, knowing instantly when an ambush by the American troops was on the way. She was disguised as a foreign mercenary inside the castle, while Fidel was hosting a ceremony. Hussein was planning an attack on American soil, Katie's mission was to eliminate Hussein, once she contacted her general, then the cavalry will arrive. Back in the USA, somewhere in Nevada, Andy was packing up after another tough match. Chad was lurking around wearing a t-shirt of Fidel Ali Hussein. "I heard you and Hayden are getting married," said Chad, "congratulations on that." Andy ignored Chad. "How's that brother of yours?" he asked. Andy pounced on Chad, right into the lockers. Andy was choking him. "Don't you ever talk about my brother again," Andy warned, "you don't have that right, you commie pig."

Teddy, Henry, and Ricky pulled Andy off of Chad. They went outside with him. "Don't let Chad get to you," Teddy said, "the guy's being his usual miserable self." Andy looked at the ground. "I tried U.S. Search, they couldn't find Greg," said Andy, "no one can find him." Three weeks went by after that, still no word on Greg, but during that period, an undercover Katie had gained Hussein's trust. She made her report, secretly, to General Marshall. "He fully believes I'm on his side, General," she said, "I'm glad I learned to speak their language after all." Later that evening Katie danced with Fidel.

One of Fidel's minions received another e-mail from their mole, having hacked into the military computer system, they learned of another ambush against their bunker. Those soldiers were captured. Katie wondered how this kept happening. While sharing dinner with Hussein and his minions, she learned of the traitor sending the stolen data. Meanwhile, in the USA, Andy and Hayden were having lunch at the home of Andy's parents' Kansas home. Mom and Dad were still joyful of the news of their son's engagement. "Hayden, I can't wait for Barry and I to meet your parents," Mrs. Sawyer said. "Oh, tell really like you, Mrs. Sawyer," replied Hayden."

"Please, call me Maureen," she insisted. The doorbell rang. "I'll see who it is," Mr. Sawyer insisted. There was a man in uniform at the door. "Hello, is this the home of Barry and Maureen Sawyer?" asked the military officer. "Yes, may I help you?" he responded. The man in uniform held a briefcase in his hand. "I'm here to discuss your son, Greg," he answered. "I'm Col. Donald Houser." They all occupied the family living room, all four wanting answers. "After his last match for the military, Greg volunteered for a top secret assignment to use his mixed martial arts abilities to stop Fidel Ali Hussein," Col. Houser said, "Greg was making progress, until our database had gotten hacked into." Andy suddenly had a lump in his throat, fearing for the worse, but praying for the best.

"Greg went back into Hussein's castle, in the village of Larebil, to locate the source of where the hacking was taking place and who the hacker is," Col. Houser continued, "we received word from him on radio, 'Mace-in' and 'transmission' was what he'd said, and he went missing after that." Hayden wasn't liking the turn this conversation had gone in. "Recently we've recovered a torn piece of his uniform along with his blood and pieces of his hair," Col. Houser added, "nearby the field was a disaster area." Barry and Maureen started crying. "What does this mean?" Andy yelled. "I'm sorry, son," Col. Houser told him, "your brother was a good man." Andy and Hayden were crying as well. Col Houser gave them Greg's dog-tags. _Mace-in, transmission. _It kept echoing in his head as the Col. Houser was exiting the house.

"Wait!" Andy screamed. "I know what Greg was trying to say." But he had already driven off. Even so, how'd he prove what he now knows. In the next few days the family planned a memorial service for Greg. Overseas in the village of Larebil, Katie was present with Hussein as he briefed his minions on what he wanted his captives to do on this day. "Me wants the slime these retched misfits are to finish building my statue," he ordered. The head minion kneeled, "Yes, your excellency." Now Hussein turned his attentions to Katie. "Aw my dear, it's been lovely to have you on my squadron, my lovely woman." She pretended to be flattered, while really being sickened. "A pity I already have six-teen wives," he continued, "there's another pity as well."

"What's that, my master?" she asked. Hussein looked at her with fury. "That you're an American spy." Minions surrounded her. In Topeka, the service for Greg had wrapped up. Andy was at the reserved section of the cemetery that Greg would be in, after the Army locates his body. "Greg, it's me, Andy. I'm sorry, you deserved better than what I gave you. I want you to know I never meant to hurt you, I was always honored to be your brother, and I promise to avenge you, my brother. This I promise you." Andy cried.

Hayden joined him now. "Greg, I failed you as a friend. I did love you, I do. If I'm blessed to have children one day, I promise you our first born son will be named after you. I hope you found peace." At home later on, Hayden got a text message from a member of Katie's unit, stating she was MIA. Hayden immediately went to Andy. "I know what must be done," he said, "we're going on a trip." Their road trip was to Idaho. The evil Fidel was still interrogating Katie. "I'm sticking to the same story I've given you," she said, "I'm not telling you nothing." Rifles were pointed at her, but she still wouldn't sell-out. Fidel looked her straight in the eyes. "Listen my pretty lady," he hissed, "when I take over the rest of the Middle East, I'll be one step closer to destroying America."

Katie slapped him in the face. The minions were poised and ready with their weapons. "Lock her up in the special dungeon," Fidel ordered. Fortunately, Andy had better luck as he found the residence of the hacking traitor. He looked around for something. Russian music played from the loft of the suspect. Andy pounded on the door. After it opened he was staring at Chad. Andy karate kicked him to the floor. "What's your problem, Sawyer?" he asked. Andy hoisted him up and put a death grip on him. "How could you do it, you crazy backstabbing traitor?" Andy demanded. "How did you hack into military files?" Hayden walked in and watched this. "I didn't do anything," Chad claimed, "now leave, but your hottie can stay." Andy punched him in the ribs. "New approach," insisted Andy, "I don't care how you did it, but my brother is dead because of you." There was no trace of remorse in Chad's eyes.

"Now our friend, Katie is missing," he continued, "you'll be helping us with this dilemma." Chad smirked. "You and what army?" he asked. Footsteps were heard. "Us," came a voice. It was Teddy, Henry, and Ricky. Katie was dragged into the dungeon. "Do you pray, girlie?" asked the guard. "Yes, I do, why?" she answered. The door to the dungeon was opened. "Your new roommate is constantly heard praying." She was forced in. It was dark and gloomy inside. It was a big place, it was a dirty place. It was much neater in the loft. Chad has a Soviet Union flag hanging up, along with a collection of Michael Moore DVDs. Andy looked at them in disgust. Chad drank his Cuban lager.

"Ever hear of Concoction 9000?" Andy asked. Chad burped. "No, should I have?" The five friends had pretty much token over Chad's loft and weren't leaving. "Andy, you say that the individual who consumes the concoction only has 9,000 hours left to live," Teddy remarked, "the liquid slowly shuts down the host's immune system." Chad had a Nazi documentary playing on his DVD player. "Don't forget it creeps into your bloodstream," Henry added, "that's a crucial element." Chad put the volume higher and drank more of his lager. "You can't function after a while, you're all drowsy afterwards," Ricky responded, "your body freezes up and then you're done for." Chad grew irritated. He finished the last drop of his lager.

"That's exactly what'll happen to Mister Turncoat here," Hayden said, "unless he cooperates." Chad groaned. "Help you fools with what?" he demanded. The Nazi film had concluded. "You're the go-to guy with Fidel Ali Hussein, you two are BFFs," Andy said, "so you're helping me and the crew into the Middle East to rescue Katie Wade and capture your life partner." He selected the special features on the disk. "Why'd you want to mess with F.A.H. for?" asked Chad. The walls of his loft looked like a hall of shame for America haters. "I'm going to finish up what my brother began," Andy said, "I'll avenge his death, he won't have died in vein." Chad's wall featured pictures of such notable USA enemies as Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Hugo Chavez. "That's fine and dandy," Chad said, "but why would I betray Fidel and enter the Larebil section of the Middle East?" A bunch of anti-war movie posters were also hung up. "Because if you don't help these guys you won't get the antidote for the concoction," Hayden answered.

"How are any of you going to force me to drink your nine thousand hour concoction?" Chad wondered. They all sat back proud of themselves. Chad felt uneasy. "Oh no," he said. Chad stared at his empty bottle. "Oh yes," Andy returned. Katie was now inside her dungeon prison as the ring fighters made their plan. Andy's family private plane was ready, but they had to stop in Japan first, as it was illegal for them to just go on a trip to a war zone. Four hours had gone by, and the plane was in the sky as they went over the plan. Hayden didn't go. Katie had been brave through it all, but fear settled in. "I must find a way to escape," she said. A sound of pounding the floor and moaning walked through. Katie knew immediately it was her roommate that is religious, who the guard had spoken of.

The prisoner looked dirty and un-groomed from his long captivity. "You'll never escape from here," he said, "you can trust me on this one." This wasn't what she wanted to here. "We have to try," she insisted. The prisoner stood in the darkness. "I've attempted many times, it's no use," he assured her, "I'm done, we're all done. Doomed." The plane was in the sky. Chad was tied up in his seat so he couldn't attempt anything underhanded. Katie looked up at the stranger. "We need to work together," she pleaded, "we must continue to fight for the USA, for our selves." The man had lost all hope and confidence. Even his mind. "You don't know what these monsters are capable of," he said. She studied him. "Wait, I know who you are," Katie said, shockingly, "you're Greg Sawyer!" He stepped into the light. "How do you know who I am?" he asked.

"I'm Hayden's friend, Katie Wade," she said. Greg's eyes lit up. "You know Hayden?" The two sat down as she told Greg what was happening with his family. Greg wasn't in his right frame of mind due to watching what the terrorists had done to the people he turned into slaves. Greg was captured wounded and injured, so he was of no use to them as a slave, but was kept locked up at the request of Chad. He still hasn't told Andy and the others that Greg was still alive. Greg was forced to watch the torture the enslaved hostages went through, including the dictator's own people who refused to allow him to rule them, then was conquered by them.

Hayden went to sleep that night, thinking about the final conversation she'd had with Greg. _Why had she fallen in love with Andy but didn't consider Greg as boyfriend material? _She thought about this while in bed. Greg had always been there for her, looked out for her. After Josh's betrayal she was lucky to meet a guy like Greg who was kind and treated her with respect. _Why then? Why Andy and not Greg? _Then it hit her. After she was getting over Josh, Greg was protective of her, almost like the older brother she'd always wanted. _The problem was he'd never thought of me as his kid sister. _Yes, he'd told her as much in the airport. But now that she _really, really _thought about it, the answer finally clicked in. Greg and Katie sat there talking, six hours had gone by, he talked about his life. It had been so long since he'd had somebody to talk to. "Ronald Reagan was a big American hero to me," he said, "I even visited his ranch during my travels."

"I know what you mean," Katie said, "hearing what George W. Bush had to say after 9/11 inspired me to get involved." Katie knew she had to help Greg get through his pain and self-doubt. Hour six-teen, still aboard the plane, the guys examined their guns, which were hidden securely in a couple of footlockers. Chad looked at them with hatred in his eyes. "Why don't you just move to Cuba?" asked Andy. Chad didn't respond.

"Who's your favorite actor of all time?" Katie asked. Greg remembered his movies fondly. "John Wayne." Greg had seen everything John Wayne had been in. "Would John Wayne just accept defeat like this?" Katie asked. The plane had landed in Japan. Andy slipped an envelope filled with money to an old Japanese business partner of his grandfather's. Now they got into the plane they'd be smuggled into. "I had all but given up," Greg said, "look at these letters I'd written to my family…and to Hayden, in case I died and these were found." The stack of letters had an elastic band around it. "I'm just curious, what did your letters to Andy and Hayden say?" Katie asked.

"I just wrote what I felt," he answered. "Let's make our game plan." The business partner used Chad's hacker-laptop to feed information that the plane was delivering supplies to the troops. Andy got dressed into his war gear. Army pants and a Greg Sawyer tribute t-shirt that him and the guys had made. Teddy, Henry, and Ricky all wore the exact thing. The guard was bringing food for Greg and Katie. The guard looked at Katie. "You know, you're a good looking American girl," he said. She saw the intentions in his eyes. He walked closer, from behind Greg locked him in a sleeper hold. Katie snatched his gun. After he lost consciousness, Greg took his knife away. Another guard came to check up on things, Greg karate kicked him. "Now I have a gun, too," he said. Greg and Katie locked them in.

Greg and Katie kept surprising the terrorists and knocking them out. One jumped out and snatched up Katie, Greg shot him in the arm. The two Americans hid in a tunnel. Fidel Ali Hussein learned of their escape. As punishment, he had those guards killed. The plane was still in the air. Chad was chained up, the others got as much sleep as possible. They'll need it. "We must go to the next phase of our plan," Greg insisted. Katie noticed one of the terrorists had a cattle prod in his possession. After they attacked him and gave him a concussion, the cattle prod was theirs. The guys had gotten ten hours of sleep and were refreshed. Now they enjoyed a good breakfast.

They had arrived at their destination. The guys did some stretching exercises beforehand. They drank their energy drinks. Hussein was getting frustrated in his fortress, as he had more of his men executed for their failure. "Me want the Americans located at immediate time," he barked. The followers promised to obey. On the isolated mountain top, Andy ordered Chad to make the call on the satellite phone. "Village area AF five point eight one," Chad said, "it is I, the Cruncher ahead of schedule." They waited for a response from the operator. "Mason, is that you?" asked the operator. They awaited word for permission and instructions to the base. After being bounced around from officer to officer, Chad finally got Fidel on the line. "Chud, me man, what-a you doing here?" asked Fidel.

"The feds are on to me, I needed to make a break for it." Chad was concerned for his life, he kept looking at his watch. "Okay, Chud, we move on to next phase…We plan attack on American soil." While the phone conversation took place, Greg and Katie kept rendering the terrorists unconscious with a nerve hold. "Wow, Katie, I had no idea you had this kind of advanced training," Greg said, impressed. Another Fidel minion came from behind. "Greg, behind you," Katie screamed. Greg zapped him with the cattle prod.

A reluctant Chad led the way for Andy and company. "You're still giving me the antidote, right?" he asked. "I've been keeping track of my time. Sixty-one hours, forty-one minutes." The guys kept walking. "Once Hussein is captured and Katie is safe you're retched life will be spared." Andy said. "After what happened to Greg, this is way, way more than what you deserve." Little did Andy know, Greg and Katie were on their way to Hussein's quarters. A four hundred pound man stood in front of the next doorway they needed to get through. Katie was used as diversion, while Greg came from behind and choked him out. "We make a great team," Katie said. Greg nodded in agreement. "We'd be tag team champions, you and me."

Outdoors Fidel Ali Hussein and his entourage awaited Chad's arrival. "Sixty-five hours have now expired," Chad mumbled. He walked alone towards the gate. The guards opened the door. "Master, it is I," said Chad. Hussein smiled approvingly. "Chud, my boy, how are you?" he asked. Chad looked at him with concern in his eyes. "IT'S A TRAP!" **BANG BANG!!!! **The bullets flew from a distance. Teddy, got five of them already. Ricky, a target expert, had shot twenty of them from his make-shift fort. Henry managed to get someone's kneecap. Andy missed with each shot.

"Me men are all down," Fidel panicked, "Chud, what going on?" He explained it all to the evil dictator. Andy got on a radio and contacted the American Army. The American fighters charged the castle doors. Guns continued firing. Ricky and Teddy killed them, while Andy and Henry tried their best. Greg and Katie heard the commotion. "We must have back up, obviously," said Greg. Ricky, like a cowboy, worked his gun like magic, shooting down bad guy after bad guy. His friends were astonished by the sight. "We should split up now," Andy said, "we must locate Hussein and find Katie and anyone else who's being held captive."

Fidel and Chad were hiding under a desk. "I'm so sorry, my ruler," Chad said. The door was suddenly shot down. "Shud op, Chud," Fidel shouted. Andy burst through the room. Chad sprung out from underneath the desk and tackled Andy. They fought into Fidel's bathroom. "Get 'em my boy," Fidel cheered. Suddenly Fidel got kicked in the head. It was Greg. The dictator took a pounding from Greg. Lefts and rights and rights and lefts. He acted like he was back in the ring as he executed his arsenal of fancy moves. In the bathroom, Andy smashed Chad's face into a mirror. "Seven years bad luck I guess," he said. Andy walked into the next room and recognized Fidel but didn't notice who the American male was that was beating the tar out of him. He walked closer. The beating stop, Greg still had his back turned. "I'm an American, I'm here to help," Andy said. Greg turned around.

"Greg?" Andy asked shocked. The two brothers stared shocked at one another. "Andy?" Greg was equally as shocked. Fidel was slowly getting up, struggling to regain his senses. "I thought you were dead," Andy still had surprise in his voice. Chad staggered from the bathroom. "You!" Greg said, outraged. He pointed his gun at Chad. Fidel was barely back on his feet, Greg pointed the gun at him now. "You, Grug, wait-e a min-ute, pu-leese," Fidel said, "me knoe all-a about you frum Chud." Greg had hatred on his face and eyes. "What did that rat tell you?" Greg demanded, angrily.

"You should-a-not shoot-a me," Fidel insisted, "you should-a shoot-a ya' brother." Chad nodded in agreement. Fidel pulled Andy next to him. They began shoving one another. "Stop it now!" Greg demanded. They heard the cavalry arrive outside. The prisoners were freed. "I have a escape hatch, me man," Fidel said, "join us, you'll be royalty with us." Fidel's men were dropping like flies outside. "Listen to him Greg," Chad pleaded, "Fidel is extremely rich, you'll rule your own kingdom like I will." A million thoughts ran through Greg's mind, his life thus far was flashing in his brain like a movie.

"You brother, And-ee, he stole your girlie friend," Fidel said, "And-ee do not care for-a you." Chad looked at his timer, sixty-nine hours went by. "He's right, Greg, Andy and Hayden wronged you," Chad agreed, "we can form an alliance and rule this territory, just kill Andy and Hayden can be your queen." Andy wouldn't speak on his behalf. "He know it's a-true," Fidel insisted, "shoot him and you and Hayden will be guaranteed a happy life too-geta." Greg had the gun poised, his finger on the trigger. "Greg, it's all my fault you're like this," Andy said, "I'd prefer to die than to see you miserable and sad like you've been."

"There on their way, Greg," Chad said, "we need to use the escape hatch now." The Army had cleaned house. "After dis wee-ee will get-a Chud's antidote," Fidel reminded. "It's time Greg." The next minute felt like a blur, Greg nodded, aimed the gun. Andy and Fidel stood there, Chad looked confident. Andy accepted his faith, while having a flashback of himself and Greg in better days. **BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!! **A thud was heard as the body fell. "I was worried there for a while, Greg," a relieved Andy said. Fidel was still alive, but barely. "You messed up, Sawyer," Chad said, "your life would've been so much better." Greg walked over to Chad and hit him in the face with the gun. Chad went right down.

Katie entered the room. "Can I join this reunion?" The Sawyer boys were both glad to see she was okay. "Katie!" Andy said. The two hugged. "Greg, there's some people here to see you," Katie informed. Greg turned his head. Teddy, Henry, and Ricky were there to greet him. "Greg!" "You really are alive." "I can't believe this." He ran up to them. "Oh man, guys, I thought I'd never see you again," he said. They all hugged each other. Andy watched their reunion. His eyes were sad. "Go to him," Katie said. Andy tapped Greg on the shoulder. Both Sawyers cried. "I'm sorry," Andy said. Greg shook his head. "No, no." The brothers embraced. The US Army had Fidel and Chad arrested.

After hours of discussion, Andy and the others were cleared of any and all charges. Katie phoned her family, then she called Hayden. "Andy and the boys are fine and we'll be bringing you a surprise." Greg gathered the letters he had written while imprisoned. Andy approached his big brother as he held the letters. "May I read my letter, Greg?" he asked. Greg hesitated, feeling uneasy. "Please?" He agreed. Greg walked away to give Andy some time alone to read.

_Dear Andy,_

_By receiving this letter, I'm either missing or dead. While in captivity I had plenty of time to think. First of all, please don't blame yourself. I chose this dangerous mission and I'd do it again. I don't regret going after the dangerous Fidel Ali Hussein, what I do regret is the way things were left between us. I was jealous of you not only about Hayden, but when you replaced me in the tournament and captured a fan base of your own. I had no right to be jealous of you, you're damn good and I'm extremely proud of you, little brother. I want you to go all the way in our sport and become the number one mixed martial arts fighter ever._

_As far as Hayden goes, I still love her. Regardless of what happens to me next, a part of me will always love her. But Andy, I love you more. Not that you need it, you both have my blessings. Look after Mom and Dad for me. And I need you to go to the police and tell them Chad Mason has been hacking military data to the enemy._

_I'm sorry for reacting as I did._

_Always your loving brother,_

_Greg_

Andy was tearing up from what he read. They all boarded the plane home. The brothers finished catching up. Teddy looked at them, happy to see they were closer than ever. Soon, Andy and the others were asleep, Greg and Katie got to know one another better. "I owe you," he said, "I lost my mind, lost my way and you helped me get it back." They hugged. "It was my pleasure," she said, "but you were there for me as well." Hours later, they landed. Andy had Hayden meet him at his parents' house. Teddy, Henry, Ricky, and Katie were in the living room. Hayden was thrilled to see Katie safe and sound.

"Andy, what about their surprise?" she reminded. Hayden and Mr. And Mrs. Sawyer were confused. "We have a special guest." Andy announced. "Come on in." Greg walked in. His parents and Hayden looked like they saw a ghost. They had a tearful reunion. They let Greg and the parents have time together. Chad got word that no attorney wanted to take his case. But, on the other hand, a public defender was forced to do it. Every time Chad asked for his antidote, someone laughed. "Look guys, this is my health here," he cried, "I lost one hundred fifty-six hours already." He was ignored. Now it's time for Greg and Hayden to talk.

"My letter to you…" Greg began. "I read it, thank you," she finished. "I just want you to be happy now," Greg added. As his parents read their letters, Greg and Hayden had a nice long conversation. Peace was between them. It was then time to leave the home of Barry and Maureen Sawyer. Greg knew about the wedding now, and congratulated Andy and Hayden. Before they left, there were two things to clear up. "Greg, will you do me the honor of being my best man?" asked Andy. "It'll be a privilege," Greg responded. Now onto the next question. "I guess you'll be needing your apartment back," said Henry. Greg shook his head. "No, you keep it," said Greg. Everyone was surprised. "I'll be moving in with Katie now, we need to look out for one another." They held hands and walked to the car. Greg and Katie shared a kiss. "Wow, I didn't see that one coming," Henry said. As for Chad, he doesn't know it, yet, but he never got injected with a deadly virus. Just the flu.

As for Fidel Ali Hussein, he got stabbed in the back while in prison. It was by one of his lowly minions. Greg and Katie turned out to be soul mates. Greg plans to compete in the Olympics. Andy and Hayden were married. The service was conducted by the priest who baptized Andy as a baby. Katie was Hayden's maid of honor. Eventually, Greg proposed to Katie. Andy and Hayden were the best man and maid of honor respectively. Chad was found guilty of treason. He's still begging for his antidote. Greg prepares for the Olympics with hard training. He considered himself lucky. Not too many people get second chances. Not too many people are lucky enough to be raised by a loving family or marry a loving woman. Plus he's at the top of his profession. Greg Sawyer is at peace.

The End


End file.
